Numerical simulations of seismic response of pile foundations in sand using 3D finite element methods

Yong-Gook Lee , Muhammad Bilal Adeel , Duhee Park

Abstract

We evaluate the performance of the pseudo-static method by comparing 3D nonlinear finite element (FE) analyses of the pseudo-static approach and the dynamic simulation. The pseudo-static approach accounts only for the inertial interaction, neglecting kinematic interaction as well as the coupled axial and lateral response at the soil-pile interface. The 3D dynamic FE model is validated against centrifuge measurements, demonstrating that the employed nonlinear soil constitutive model accurately captures the recorded response. The p-y curve extracted from the dynamic analysis deviates significantly from that obtained in the pseudo-static analyses, resulting in a stiffer overall response. While using the p-y curve from the 3D pseudo-static FE model provides a better fit with the dynamic analysis results compared to the API curve, a 10-30% difference in peak bending moment remains. This study reveals that applying an amplification factor to stiffen the pseudo-static p-y curve improves prediction accuracy.

Key Words

dynamic analysis; finite element method; pile foundation; pseudo-static analysis; p-y curve

Address

Yong-Gook Lee, Duhee Park — Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Muhammad Bilal Adeel — Department of Transportation and Geotechnical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Risalpur, Pakistan

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